Though her deep voice is mixed down a little, most of Meshell
Ndegeocello's seventh album -- five of its tracks reprised from last
year's Article 3 EP recalls 2002's Cookie. Call it Sade
unlite: jazzy atmospherics meant to evoke spiritual fundamentals
rather than zoned-out surfaces. But this changes. The last five tracks
include abrasive funk, animist gospel, child-rearing reggae and the
prayerful near-metal closer, "Relief: A Stripper Classic."